Health Indicator Report of Prostate Cancer Screening

Why Is This Important?

Prostate cancer is the most commonly occurring form of cancer (excluding skin cancer) among men and is the second leading cause of cancer death for men in Utah and the U.S. All men over 40 should visit their doctor for a routine health visit which may include a discussion on prostate health.

Chart

Data Table

Men Aged 40+ Who Reported Ever Having a PSA Test by LHD, Utah, 2012 and 2014

Data Notes

Notes

Age-adjusted to the U.S. 2000 standard population.
Prior to 2015 San Juan County was part of the Southeast Local Health District. In 2015 the San Juan County Local Health District was formed. Data reported are for all years using the current boundaries.

Data Source

Data Interpretation Issues

To reduce bias and more accurately represent population data, the BRFSS has changed survey methodology. In 2010, it began conducting surveys by cellular phone in addition to landline phones. It also adopted "iterative proportional fitting" (raking) as its weighting method. More details about these changes can be found at: [http://health.utah.gov/opha/publications/brfss/Raking/Raking%20impact%202011.pdf].

Health Indicator Definition

Definition

The percentage of men aged 40 and above who reported having a prostate-specific antigen (PSA) test in the last five years or who reported ever having had a PSA test.

Numerator

The number of men aged 40 and above who reported having had a PSA test within the specified time period.

Denominator

The total number of male survey respondents aged 40 or older excluding those who responded "don't know" or "refused" to the numerator question.

Current Outlook

How Are We Doing?

In 2014, 47.3 percent of Utah men aged 40 and older reported ever receiving a prostate-specific antigen (PSA) test. Since 2010 PSA testing has been declining which is expected since routine testing is no longer recommended (see Evidence-based Practices section).
PSA testing rates in Utah increased significantly with age. For example, 22.2 percent of men aged 40 to 49 had ever had a PSA compared with 61.2 percent of men aged 50 to 64 (2010-2014 data). From 2010-2014 Hispanic men were less likely then non-Hispanic men to report ever having had a PSA test (43.0 percent compared with 54.2 percent).

How Do We Compare With the U.S.?

Historically, since 2002 rate of prostate-specific antigen (PSA) in the Utah male population have shown little difference in comparison to U.S. rates.
However, in 2012 and 2014, U.S. males aged 40 and older were less likely to have ever had a PSA test than Utah males of the same age (47.3 percent of Utah males compared with 53.8 percent of U.S. males in 2014).

Health Improvement

Evidence-based Practices

Screening recommendations have changed over time.
Until recently, many doctors and professional organizations encouraged yearly prostate-specific antigen (PSA) screening for men beginning at age 50.
However, as more has been learned about both the benefits and harms of prostate cancer screening, a number of organizations have begun to caution against routine population screening. Although some organizations continue to recommend PSA screening, there is widespread agreement that any man who is considering getting tested should first be informed in detail about the potential harms and benefits.
Currently, Medicare provides coverage for an annual PSA test for all Medicare-eligible men age 50 and older. Many private insurers cover PSA screening as well.
Since 2012, the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) recommends against PSA-based screening for prostate cancer.
Healthy diet, exercise, and lifestyle play an important role in cancer prevention.

Available Services

Screening recommendations have changed over time.
Until recently, many doctors and professional organizations encouraged yearly prostate-specific antigen (PSA) screening for men beginning at age 50.
However, as more has been learned about both the benefits and harms of prostate cancer screening, a number of organizations have begun to caution against routine population screening. Although some organizations continue to recommend PSA screening, there is widespread agreement that any man who is considering getting tested should first be informed in detail about the potential harms and benefits.
Currently, Medicare provides coverage for an annual PSA test for all Medicare-eligible men age 50 and older. Many private insurers cover PSA screening as well.
Since 2012, the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) recommends against PSA-based screening for prostate cancer.

Utah DOH

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